ACT Health has issued a community warning to be alert for the symptoms of measles after a traveller with the highly-contagious disease was known to have passed through the Canberra Airport recently.
Acting Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerryn Coleman said the person’s travel in and out of Canberra was on 21 March and included flight QF1543 from Brisbane to Canberra arriving at 8am, and flight QF809 from Canberra to Melbourne departing at 8.49am.
“Anyone who was on the identified flights in and out of Canberra or in the Canberra Airport departure terminal between 8am-to-10am on that day, should be aware for signs and symptoms of measles between now and 9 April,” Dr Coleman said.
“Symptoms of measles may include fever, tiredness, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, followed by a rash which appears two-to-seven days later.”
She said anyone with symptoms of measles should seek medical advice, advising their health care provider before they arrive so that appropriate infection control precautions can be put in place to stop the spread of the disease.
“People generally develop symptoms seven-to-18 days after being exposed to a person with infectious measles, with 10 days being more common,” Dr Coleman said.
“People are infectious from approximately four days before they develop a rash until four days after.
“Measles is a serious disease and is highly contagious among people who are not fully immunised,” she said.
